Academy shines at the Jackson Invite

Tuesday

Sep 17, 2013 at 8:23 AMSep 17, 2013 at 8:24 AM

By Phillip MorganPmorgan@hillsdale.net

JACKSON — Frigid, rainy weather soaked the fairways and greens at Cascades Golf Course on Monday morning, but Hillsdale Academy did not seem to mind.The Colts had their best finish at the Jackson Invite, in recent memory. The Invite included many of the areas perennial golf powerhouses; Lumen Christi and Hanover-Horton.The Colts shot a 386 and took second place at the invite. They finished only four strokes behind the Jackson-Northwest Mounties. The Napoleon Pirates finished third with a score of 400."All we had to do was take away four stokes and we would have had it," Academy coach Charlie Blood said. "Four strokes is like one or two points in basketball game."Despite getting edged into second place by the Mounties, Blood said he was really happy with how the ladies played on a challenging Cascades Course."It’s a pretty tough course," Blood said. "It’s a mature course with a lot of trees. I think it's one of the best courses in the area."Academy golfer Madi Reed thrived in the challenging environment.Reed, who typically shoots around an 85, scored an 84 at Cascades, yesterday. Reed tied Sarah Garcia of Jackson High School for second place. Megan Klintworth of Hanover-Horton took first.Klintworth's Comets are in the midst of a rebuilding year, however. The Colts stepped into the void left by the normally stellar program.Academy captain Courtney Wollet followed close behind Reed. She shot an 89, good for fourth place overall.Maddy Collins (103), Cece Brady (110), and Molly Arendt (118) rounded out the Academy’s five.Hillsdale High School also competed in the tournament. With the addition of two freshman last week the Hornets are now eligible to score in tournaments.Freshmen Brooke Roberts and Taylor McClintic golfed in their first match of the season at the Jackson Invite.Head coach Nick Langston said, McClintic is small in stature but exhibited good technique."She’s down the middle, and she’s got a beautiful swing," Langston said. "The older and stronger shegets, the better she’ll be."Langston said, Roberts will also be a great addition."She’s an athletic girl, and she enjoys playing sports."The Hornets' number one golfer Kenda McLain led the team with a 119. Taylor McClintic had the next best Hornet performance, as she shot 149. Aubrey McLain and Brooke Roberts tied at 199.The Hornets' fifth golfer Brittany Lawson could not make the tournament due to nursing classes."School comes first," Langston said.Both the Hornets and the Colts said they were unfazed by the inhospitable weather, the tough course, and the high-level competition at the invite."They were not intimidated," Langston said of his Hornets.Hillsdale will play in the Onsted Jamboree at the Devils Lake Course on Wednesday, Sept. 18. The match begins at 3:30 p.m.The Academy heads to another tree-heavy course at Coldwater on Friday, Sept 20. The invite will begin in the morning at 9.